Farmer Owned and Controlled

[rockhound]

Name one organization that has survived under such directorship management. Directors should not be elected but selected for their expertise in said business. Farmers have little corporate knowledge and can carry to much personel unproductive mindset to manage a large corporate marketing agency.
Much of that personel mindset canbe found on this website.

[agstar77]

Let's see now the directors of Enron and Nortel were ? Elected , no wait I think they were appointed. They did such a wonderful job.

[Fransisco]

What % of the total number of privately run companies were they agstar?

What exactly happened to them because of the job they did?

And what happened to those companies, did the marketplace reward them or punish them?

[TOM4CWB]

Agstar77,

And the Directors of Bears Stearns were? At least when they messed up... they got shown the door... as did the ENRON and WORLDCOM Directors.

If CWB Directors obeyed the Bylaws the CWB has in place right now... such as to respect the common law rights of the growers they represent... we would have the grower exemption like Organics/Ontario have as we speak.

The facts speak for themselves.

The CWB works for the Agents of the Board... not growers.

There is absolutely no question who the 'monopoly' extracts a premium from... day after day... week after week, month after month... year after year.

Certain farmers... JUST 'Designated area' commercial growers... must pay... and pay... everyone else in Canada is exempt from this insanity. The 'opinion of the board' ( Wayne Easter/Goodale and their seven foot warmers ) is that we are to stupid to know what a fair price to sell at... is.

On top... these same people would rather destroy a truly grower controlled marketing opportunity... for commercial grain growers... than allow us to gain the power true voluntary cooperation could attain.

[checking]

Is it fair to say that the hardcore and vocal CWB supporters (by and large) have special positions they want to retain (eg. jobs, special exemptions not shared with the "raging masses", desires to control their "few rich" neighbors; positions of power that they wish to retain; agendas that are rationalized at the expense of minorities that they loathe etc. etc.)?
If these hard core supporters have these deep powers and full monopoy control; why have there been decades of government handouts to keep the farm economy from collapse; and more importantly; why have a small minority survived without accepting those taxpayer subsidies?
When the hardcore supporters take full credit for the recent increases in grain prices (and the resultant projected CWB prices for producers except for those with the special exemptions I might add) there seems to be a dichotemy between the statements we were fed for decades that Canadian production was a drop in the world supply bucket.
There are so many figures in the world and so many words in print that arguments and debates are doomed to fruitless long winded and bitter discussions. In the end; even if the little CWB exclusive empire continues; there is still a big world out there; and more than marketing that is important.
The CWB monopoly doesn't respect other opinions nor listen to them. It doesn't fear those who feel they suffer under its heavy hand. No empire has lasted forever; nor will the CWB.

[grassfarmer]

I don't know if it would be fair to say that checking, to do so certainly goes against the usual portrayal by anti-cwb'rs of the producers who support the board. That portrayal being of a group of tired, old men farming small acres poorly with old machinery and no marketing savvy.

[agstar77]

What was that Ritzy said about wearing tinfoil hats? Better get over that mindset checking, things aren't always what they appear to be.

[charliep]

grassfarmer

Just curious if the livestock industry would be willing to accept single desk sales environment? Will note that both crop and livestock industries are 50 % domestic market and 50 % export (wheat is closer to 60 %). If it wouldn't work for the livestock industry (realizing it breaks down the cowcalf, background and feeder for cattle), why is grain different?

I note your agri-ville handle indicates your feeding alternative but will note that the domestic livestock feeding industry is about 2/3 of domestic cereal grain disappearance. Is the CWB a good thing or a bad for the western Canada's livestock industry?

[parsley]

When the CWB negotiated a contract with Warburton, how did the CWB decide which farmers would "fill" that order?

The farmers growing for Warburton were supposedly getting a premium they could pocket.

Was the opportunity available to all DA farmers?

How did the CWB select from farmer applicants?

Or were there applicants?

Was the process open?

Was the process fair?

What IS the process?

Which farmers currently fill Warburton's needs ?

How does checking get on the supplier list?

Parsley

[Burbert]

Brex was another shining example of individuals knowing how to get things done, and doing it to lots and lots of people! No prosecution, cause apparently it would cost to much to investigate, according to authorities. Some minor lawsuits filed, but all and all, considered by some to have been a worthwhile venture. Tonto Stock Exchange didn't even follow normal business routine when listing this outstanding company!

[agstar77]

Warburton selected the area it wanted grain from. I don't know the entire process but I believe it was only open to growers in that specific area. That is why it was not open to all growers.

[parsley]

ringy-ding ding

CWB: Good Afternoon. This here's the Canadian Wheat Board. We're famous for pooling all Western grain. One stop shopping. I'm the Rowhlee muskakateer. One for all and all for one. What can I do for you?

WARBURTONS: This is Warburtons. We wanna buy some wheat for making bread, but we only want to buy from the folks around Winnipeg. We hate the guys around Kola, and also near Kindersley. Can you cut them out?

CWB: Yup. We hate those same guys.And Albertans? they get ha ha ha ha ha......ziiiiiiiiiPO.


WARBURTONS: Could we get a 10 year contract?

CWB: No problem. Poolings not important,anyhow. Your contract will be stamped "confidential". Grains on the way.

WARBURTONS: Hey, you guys are good. Chow.

CWB: We do it all the time. Chow.

click
click

[parsley]

agstar,

I understand it is Harder to be a contractee if you want choice and want to be a participant.

Parsley

[grassfarmer]

charliep,
Depends what you define by the "livestock industry."
If you mean the packing industry and their lackies that front pseudo "commodity groups" like ABP/CCA in a pretense of representing producers the answer would be no.
A cohesive, powerful single desk marketing board working on behalf of cattle producers would seriously reduce the margins being made by the US transnational meat processors.

I'm not saying the CWB is perfect but the concept of single desk marketing could be made to work for the benefit of beef producers and should not be dismissed because a single desk grain marketing body is not universally popular among all grain producers.

Properly set up and managed a single desk beef marketing board could tackle many of our most serious problems.
Combined with proper anti-competition laws to break up the captive supply situation that now controls the fed cattle supply in Western Canada and things could really improve.
It would allow beef producers to reintroduce competition into the beef processing sector by forcing companies to compete for fed cattle without their unfair advantage of controlling a large part of the inventory through captive supply.
Given the potential benefits of this to beef producers they would be eager to accept the concept of single desk sales - but of course your Alberta Government would run another dishonest campaign using taxpayers money to urge beef producers not to back such a proposal.
Afterall their alleged policy of backing "marketing choice" and "free enterprise" is nothing of the sort. The Alberta government policy on agriculture is set by Cargill and on beef was all about subsidizing foreign packers to set up in Canada and eliminating competition within the processing sector. It is clear they continue to do the dirty work for the transnationals as anyone who has been watching developments in the beef sector post 2003 will be aware of.

"Is the CWB a good thing or a bad for the western Canada's livestock industry?" - I honestly don't think it makes a lot of difference either way.

[charliep]

grassfarmer

You would accept single desk. If price pooling/control over delivery was a part of the requirement, would you also support this organization?

The three pillars of the CWB are single desk selling, price pooling and government guarantees.